Survey reveals 'most racist' countries

By

Alys Francis, ninemsn

Australia is one of the least racist countries on Earth, according to a survey of global social attitudes.

The World Values Survey of 80 countries found Australia ranked alongside New Zealand, Canada, the US, the UK, Sweden, Norway, Latvia and parts of Latin America as more racially tolerant than anywhere else in the world.

The least racially tolerant countries were Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Jordan and India, reported the Washington Post, which compiled a data map of the figures.

The survey, organised by Sweden-based World Values Survey Association and carried out by social scientists around the world, asked respondents to identify groups of people they would not want as neighbours, listing "people of a different race" as one of the options.

In Australia five percent or less of respondents said they would not want to live next to somebody of another race.

The study found the most intolerant nation was Hong Kong with 71.8 percent, followed closely by Bangladesh with 71.7 percent, Jordan with 51.4 percent and India with 43.5 percent.

"Nations such as Indonesia and the Philippines, where many racial groups often jockey for influence and have complicated histories with one another, showed more scepticism of diversity," the Post reported.